Microsoft Project 2007 Training

Best Practices for Creating Projects and Monitoring Progress

Stryker Communications Michael McClain

1. 2. 3. 4. a. b. c. 5. a. b. 6. a. 7. a. b. c. 8. a. 9. a. b. c. d. e. f.

Turn off the project guide: ..................................................................................................................................4 Set the Project Start Date: ..................................................................................................................................4 Adding Project Title and Information:..................................................................................................................4 Setting up the project calendar: ..........................................................................................................................4 Make a copy of the default calendar template........................................................................................................... 4 Customize your new calendar ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Assign your custom calendar to your project. ............................................................................................................ 5 Entering Tasks into Project ..................................................................................................................................6 The Four Task Types .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Best Practice for entering tasks: ................................................................................................................................. 6 Entering Task Durations ......................................................................................................................................6 Default Values and Notation in Project ...................................................................................................................... 6 Outlining Tasks ...................................................................................................................................................7 Outlining Subtasks....................................................................................................................................................... 7 Work Breakdown Structure ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Recurring Tasks ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Linking Tasks ......................................................................................................................................................7 Link Relationship Types ............................................................................................................................................... 7 More Information Regarding Tasks .....................................................................................................................8 Inserting New Tasks .................................................................................................................................................... 8 Changing Link Relationships........................................................................................................................................ 8 Creating Task Lag and Lead Times .............................................................................................................................. 8 Task Constraints .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Task Deadlines ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Task Notes ................................................................................................................................................................... 9

10. Using Resources in MS Project ............................................................................................................................9 a. b. c. Resource Types ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 Creating and Using Resource Calendars ................................................................................................................... 10 Assigning Resources .................................................................................................................................................. 10

11. Final Preparation and Entering of Task Progress ................................................................................................ 10 a. b. c. d. Viewing the Critical Path ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Viewing Slack time and Critical Tasks........................................................................................................................ 10 How to Shorten the Finish Time of Your Project ...................................................................................................... 11 Setting a Project Baseline.......................................................................................................................................... 11 Page | 2

e.

Entering Task Progress .............................................................................................................................................. 11

12. Progress Tracking and Reporting ....................................................................................................................... 12 a. b. c. d. Tracking Project Variances: ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Tracking Gantt View .................................................................................................................................................. 12 Progress Lines on Gantt Chart................................................................................................................................... 12 Reports ...................................................................................................................................................................... 12

13. Other Tips and Summary: ................................................................................................................................. 13

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Recommended MS Project 2007 Best Practices:

1. Turn off the project guide:
The project guide can be useful, however, it makes certain assumptions we dont want. a. Action: i. View>>Turn Off Project Guide

2. Set the Project Start Date:

For a new project always set this as your desired start date. Projects can also be backdated to represent an earlier (actual) start date. This allows users to see their actual progress on a project that was started without specifying a project start date. a. Action: i. Project menu >> Project Information >> Start Date field 1. Change the Start Date to your actual project start date

3. Adding Project Title and Information:

This step allows you to enter the project title, comments, manager name and keywords. This will be useful in later steps when adding a Project Summary Task a. Action i. File>>Properties ii. Update Project title, company and all relevant fields

4. Setting up the project calendar:

MS Project automatically assigns a default calendar template (DONT USE IT!) Default Calendar settings o Mon-Friday , 8am- 5pm with one hour lunch, no holidays or vacations a. Make a copy of the default calendar template i. Action 1. Tools>>Change Working Time>> Create New Calendar a. Change the name to Stryker Standard Calendar or similar b. Click the bullet next to Make a copy of and choose standard from drop down menu

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b. Customize your new calendar Add exceptions or days that will not count toward the progress of your project. (I.e.- if you add a vacation week, project wont show that you are a week behind when you get back.). You can also change the working hours for specific days or time periods to represent half days etc. i. Action 1. Tools>>Change Working Time 2. Choose your newly created calendar in the For Calendar drop down 3. Holidays and Vacation a. Click on the Exceptions Tab b. Fill out the Name of the exception (e.g. - Vacation, holiday) c. Fill out the Start date of the exception d. Fill out the Finish date of the exception 4. Changing Working Hours a. Click on the Work Weeks Tab b. Fill out the Name of the altered work week(s) or day(s) i. (e.g.- days, or come in early, leave late etc.)

c. Assign your custom calendar to your project. i. Action a. Project>>Project Information b. Select your custom calendar from the Calendar field c. Click OK

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5. Entering Tasks into Project

a. The Four Task Types i. Summary Tasks a. A sort of group header for subtasks ii. Subtasks a. specific, detailed tasks needed to accomplish a summary task iii. Project Summary Tasks a. pulls the project title & info from properties view iv. Milestones a. Mark beginning, end and key completion points of the project, denoted by a black diamond on the Gantt Chart View. b. Best Practice for entering tasks: i. Enter all Summary Tasks first. a. Use naming format XXXXXX Phase i. (e.g. - Research Phase, Development Phase etc) b. Put in order they must be completed from top to bottom ii. Enter all Subtasks a. Insert under corresponding summary task b. Put in order they must be completed from top to bottom iii. Enter Project Summary Task a. Tools>>Options>>View tab b. Check box Show Project Summary c. NEVER CHANGE THE START/FINSIH DATE OF THIS TASK iv. Enter Milestones a. Any task can be designated as a Milestone by entering zero (0) for the duration b. Enter a milestone task titled Start Project and Complete Project c. Enter any other milestone tasks related to your project

6. Entering Task Durations

a. Default Values and Notation in Project i. Make duration changes in the DURATION column, not Start/Finish columns ii. A task duration followed by ? tells MS Project this is an approximate value a. 1m = 1 minute b. 1h = 1 hour c. 1d = 1 day = 8 hours d. 1w = 1 week = 40 hours e. 1mo = 1 month = 20 working days

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7. Outlining Tasks
Outlining tasks makes your project files appear more organized and easier to navigate. a. Outlining Subtasks i. Highlight all subtasks under one of your Summary tasks ii. Click the Green indent arrow in the taskbar (top left) a. This indents all subtasks under a summary task and makes the summary task bold; it also creates a summary task bar on the Gantt chart.

iii.

Repeat these steps for all of your subtasks falling under your previously created summary tasks.

b. Work Breakdown Structure i. This will simply apply a numbering format that makes identifying subtasks easier ii. Action a. Tools>>Options>>View tab b. Check box next to Show Outline # c. Click OK c. Recurring Tasks i. E.G. Recurring project meetings ii. Action a. Insert>>Recurring Task b. This opens a dialog box c. Choose the Calendar to use for scheduling this task and all other relevant data

8. Linking Tasks
a. Link Relationship Types i. Finish-to-Start (Default Link Type) a. Training must FINISH before development can START ii. Start-to-Finish a. Electrical must START before sheetrock can FINISH iii. Start-to-Start a. Writing must START before editing can START iv. Finish-to-Finish a. Both tasks finish at the same time v. Action a. Click on Task A (your first subtask) b. Drag over Tasks B, C.etc c. **Note order in which you select tasks is the order they will be linked d. Click the icon (or F2) to link tasks (Remember Default is Finish-to-Start) Page | 7

9. More Information Regarding Tasks

a. Inserting New Tasks i. Action a. Use Insert key on keyboard, or right-click>> insert new task b. New tasks inserted between existing tasks take on the link relationship of those around it b. Changing Link Relationships i. Action a. Double Click on task >> Predecessors tab b. This will show the predecessors for that task and the link relationship **OR** c. You can click on the link arrow between two tasks in the Gantt Chart and change the link relationship via the dialog box that opens up c. Creating Task Lag and Lead Times i. Lag = delay between tasks ii. Lead = start one task before the predecessor finishes a. Action i. Double Click the successor task ii. Go to Predecessor tab iii. Change Lag to the # of days, weeks, hrs etc. 1. Note can also use add a % of the task time iv. Lag = NEGATIVE VALUE v. Lead = POSITIVE VALUE d. Task Constraints These are limitations/conditions you impose on the Start or Finish date for a specific task within your project. It is important to note that constraints do limit flexibility and also effect scheduling.(E.g.- Task A can start no later/earlier than., Task A can finish no later than..) i. Action a. b. c. d. e. f.

Double Click the appropriate task you wish to apply conditions to Go to Advanced Tab Constraint Type >> Default = ASAP Change the constraint and constraint date to your needs Constraining a task will put an icon on in the indicator column showing this task is constrained Note ---Project>>Task Drivers This will show what is dictating start/finish dates of a selected task

e. Task Deadlines Unlike Constraints, deadlines do not affect scheduling; deadlines simply put an icon in the indicator column and an arrow on the Gantt chart. A Deadline is simply the date you WOULD LIKE a task to be done by. i. Action a. Double click a task>>Advanced Tab>> Deadline choose your deadline date Page | 8

f.

Task Notes Task notes are very useful in supplying more detail about a given task; you can also attach relevant files and include hyperlinks within the task notes section i. Action a. Double Click the Indicator column for any task, **Or** b. Double Click the task and navigate to the Notes tab c. Insert any relevant notes d. Insert files or objects i. Choose Create From File >> Browse to the file you want to insert ii. Check the Insert as icon box iii. Click OK"

10.

Using Resources in MS Project

a. Resource Types i. Work Resources a. People/Person needed to complete a task (internal or external) b. Equipment ii. Material Resources a. Consumable items needed to complete the given task iii. Cost Resources a. Miscellaneous/indirect expenses that vary from task to task. These costs dont change by the amount of work performed. (Airfare, lodging, meals etc.) iv. Budget Resources a. Max dollar amount to set aside for each resource TYPE listed above b. E.g.- set a budget for Work, Material and Cost resources v. Action a. View>> Resource Sheet THEN View>>Table>>Entry b. Enter the following information: i. Resource Name persons name, equip name, etc ii. Type assign this resource as Work, Material or Cost iii. Group Internal resource, External resource, Department etc iv. Material Label enter the Unit of material to be used each time this resource is used 1. E.g.- if the material resource=paper, the unit of paper consumed each time could be in Reams

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b. Creating and Using Resource Calendars Every time you create a resource, MS Project creates and applies a copy of your project calendar for that resource. If a particular resource has different availability from your particular project calendar, you can create a special calendar for that resource. Below is a brief summary of how project handles calendars: Project Calendar Assumes resources & tasks follow this calendar Task Calendar overrides the project calendar & resource calendars Resource Calendar overrides the project calendar, but not the task calendar.

Creating a Resource Calendar i. Action a. From the Resource Sheet Double Click a resource>> General Tab b. Click Change Working Time i. Can change the exceptions & working times for that resource c. Assigning Resources i. Action a. From Gantt Chart>>Select a task b. c. d. e. From toolbar >> Click the icon Choose the resource you want to assign to that task Choose the unit of availability (e.g. 100% = 8 hr days full time, 50%= 4 hr days part time) Click Assign >> Click Close

11.

Final Preparation and Entering of Task Progress

Now that all of the relevant information is entered, we can use some of the power tools offered by MS Project to evaluate the project plan and then start entering progress for the project. a. Viewing the Critical Path i. Prior to starting your project, it is a good idea to view the critical path, or those tasks that directly determine the finish date of your project. Knowing what tasks are critical may help you to better plan the task durations and relationships prior to project kickoff. The following instructions will show you how to view the critical path for your project. ii. Action: a. In the toolbar click the icon (Gantt Chart Wizard) b. Choose Critical Path >> FINISH >> Format IT >> Exit Wizard c. All tasks in red are critical tasks b. Viewing Slack time and Critical Tasks i. As an alternative to the method above you also view slack time along with the critical tasks by: ii. Action a. Click View from the toolbar >> More Views >> Detailed Gantt b. Green = Slack time (gives amount of time task can slip without affecting project finish date c. Red = Critical tasks

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c. How to Shorten the Finish Time of Your Project i. Several ways exist to manipulate the length of your project. Ways you can shorten the project timeline include: a. Assigning Extra Resources to Critical Tasks i. This only works on Effort Driven tasks b. Delete Tasks i. This will break any links that task had, be sure to re-link surrounding tasks c. Divide Tasks i. If two resources are working on one task, you can break this task into two separate tasks that start at the same time and assign one resource to each ii. Be sure to change the task names, links, durations and resources d. Setting a Project Baseline Once you are confident with the project file you have created and all the durations seem feasible, it is time to set a baseline. This is a snapshot of your initial project. Creating a baseline allows you to later compare progress to this initial plan and see if you are ahead or behind schedule. ** IMPORTANT** Always set a baseline BEFORE you begin your project. i. Action a. Tools >> Tracking >> Set Baseline >> OK b. If you prematurely set a baseline, you can always clear it from this same menu

e. Entering Task Progress At this point, it is important to note that you want to keep the default plan you spent all that time setting up separate from what actually happens. This section will walk you through entry of task progress without messing up your initial project plan. First you must access the Task Tracking Table within the Task Sheet View. This is where you will enter your actual start/finish/remaining duration or completion percentages. DO NOT ENTER TASK PROGRESS ANYWHERE ELSE !!!!!!!! i. Action a. View >> More Views >> Task Sheet View b. View >> Tables >> Tracking If the tasks start/finish dates have not changes from the original a. Change the % complete column If a certain task will take longer/shorter than originally planned a. Change the Rem.Duration column If a tasks actual start date changes from the original a. Enter the actual start date and completion %

ii. iii. iv.

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12.

Progress Tracking and Reporting

Once your project is underway and you or your manager would like to know where you stand, there are several effective methods for pulling the projects completion status. Because you set a baseline, and stay on top of entering task completion %s , you can compare where you are now with where you should be based on your initial project plan. a. Tracking Project Variances: i. Action a. View >> More Views >> Task Sheet View b. View >> Table >> Variance c. This view shows the baseline start date, baseline finish date, completion percentages and the difference (variance) between the baseline and actual dates. d. Positive Value = Delay e. Negative Value = Ahead of Schedule ii. Alternatively, you can view the Gantt chart along with the variance table by: iii. Action a. View >> Gantt Chart b. View >> Table >> Variance b. Tracking Gantt View i. Action a. View >> Tracking Gantt b. This shows baseline bars on the Gantt chart. c. Progress Lines on Gantt Chart This action will draw a vertical red line on the Gantt chart going through the current days date. If the line travels strictly vertical through a task, that task is on schedule If the line bends to the left, that task is behind schedule If the line bends to the right, that task is ahead of schedule Action a. Right Click in Gantt Chart b. Choose Progress Lines c. Check the box next to Always display current progress line i. Choose the bullet marked At current date

i.

d. Reports The reporting function of MS Project is very extensive, play around. Most useful is the Project Summary Report. This report along with the progress lines and tracking variance table can be extremely useful. i. ii. Project Summary Report a. On the toolbar >> Report >> Reports>>Overview >>Project Summary Custom Reports a. On the toolbar >> Report >> Reports>>Custom b. Choose an existing report, and click COPY c. You can then change any details of that report d. Be sure to check the box next to Show Summary Tasks Page | 12

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Other Tips and Summary:

1. ONCE YOU HIT SAVE YOU CANNOT HIT UNDO or Ctrl+Z!!! 2. Right click on the date bar above the Gantt Chart >> Zoom >> Entire Project 3. Print the Gantt chart w/ tasks on 11x17 paper. It will print exactly as it is displayed on your screen. 4. Always set the project start date 5. Setup and ASSIGN your actual calendar with holidays, vacations etc. 6. Setup and ASSIGN your actual RESOURCE calendars if needed 7. Break your project into phases (research, document, implement etc) 8. Try to put tasks in the order they must be completed 9. If you arent sure on a tasks actual duration, add some lag time so you dont fall behind schedule 10. DONT TOUCH THE START/FINISH DATE COLUMNS! USE THE DURATION COLUMN! 11. Put notes in your tasks to remind yourself of important details (you can upload files too) 12. Create and use resources. That way, when a task is behind you know who to yell at. 13. Prior to starting your project, look at the critical path, durations and resources and make sure everything seems feasible 14. SET A BASELINE BEFORE YOU START YOUR PROJECT 15. ENTER TASK PROGRESS ONLY ON THE TRACKING TABLE IN THE TRACKING SHEET VIEW 16. Leave the progress lines turned on for the current date so you can see where you are daily. 17. Take your time setting up your project file, be thorough and precise and double check everything prior to starting your project. 18. To report progress, print: a. Project Summary Report b. Tracking Variance Table c. Gantt Chart with Progress Lines

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